Poll: Shomron Residents Happier Than Most

YERUSHALAYIM
General view of the Samaria settlement of Ariel, on January 17, 2014. Photo by Flash 90.
General view of the Shomron community of Ariel. (Flash90)

Despite ongoing security issues and an ever-unclear political reality, Jewish residents of Shomron are among the most satisfied in Israel – and feel very safe. A poll of 1,072 residents in a representative sample of Shomron residents indicates that 81 percent are satisfied with their lives and communities. In addition, 74 percent said they felt safe.

The poll was taken by the Maagar Mochot organization on behalf of the Shomron Regional Council, and the results are in line with results of previous such polls.

The impetus for this year’s poll was to get a reading of how residents see the new administration of the Council, headed by Yossi Dagan. 85 percent of residents said they were satisfied with the level of services they received from the Council, while 93 perent said they wanted more politicians and officials from the center of the country to visit their communities.

One of the programs the Council started in recent years was a chessed project that distributed food to the needy, and 96 percent of those polled said they wanted that program to expand. In addition, 93 percent said that they supported and wished to expand efforts by the Council to attract new immigrants to settle in the region, and advocated reaching out to olim from France, South America and other regions.

Maagar Mochot CEO Yitzchak Katz said that the level of satisfaction among Shomron residents “is exceptional, among the highest in the country.” In addition, he said, the feeling of personal security among residents is also among the highest anywhere in Israel, despite security threats they face.

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